SBI Clerk Application and Exam Dates
You apply to one state, once a year. The process, the fee and the calendar, in order.
SBI Clerk runs one recruitment cycle a year, and unlike most bank exams the application is state-wise: you choose one state or circle and compete only against its applicants. The 2025 cycle was notified in December 2024, held prelims across late February and 1 March 2025, and offered 6,589 vacancies including 1,409 backlog posts.
The application itself is a standard online form with uploads and a category-based fee. The one decision that outlasts the form is the state choice, because the local language requirement attaches to it.
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How to Apply for SBI Clerk
- 1
Check eligibility and read the notification
Confirm the degree, the 20-28 age band with relaxations, and that you know the local language of the state you intend to choose. The notification on sbi.co.in (bank.sbi careers) governs every rule.
- 2
Register and choose your state or circle
Register on the SBI portal and select the state/circle. This choice fixes which merit list you compete in and which language requirement applies; it deserves more thought than any other field.
- 3
Upload documents and pay the fee
Upload photo, signature, thumb impression and the handwritten declaration in the prescribed formats, then pay ₹750 (General/OBC/EWS; nil for SC/ST/PwD/ex-servicemen).
- 4
Sit the prelims
The 1-hour, 100-mark screening test. Roughly 10 times the state's vacancies clear to mains; prelims marks are not counted afterwards.
- 5
Clear the mains
The 200-mark, 2-hour-40-minute objective exam. Final merit and selection are based on mains marks only; there is no interview.
- 6
LPT (if applicable), verification and joining
Candidates who did not study the local language in class 10 pass a qualifying Language Proficiency Test. Then document verification, medicals, and joining as a Junior Associate.
SBI Clerk 2025 Cycle: Key Dates
The last fully notified cycle, as a template for the calendar's shape.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Notification released | December 2024 |
| Online application window | December 2024 - January 2025 |
| Prelims exam | 22, 27, 28 February & 1 March 2025 |
| Prelims result | March 2025 |
| Mains exam | March-April 2025 |
| Language Proficiency Test | After the mains result, as applicable |
See where you stand before the admit card arrives.
Pick the State for the Language, Not the Cut-Off
Applicants sometimes choose a state hoping for a softer cut-off. The language requirement makes that a trap: the LPT is pass/fail after mains, and failing it ends the candidature after the hard work is done. A state whose language you read and write is worth more than a rumoured easier merit list.
Dates Shift Every Cycle
Vacancies, fees, dates, cut-offs and eligibility thresholds are set per notification and change between cycles. Figures here reflect the 2025 cycle as last notified. Confirm the current notification on sbi.co.in before you act on them.
Application FAQs
What is the SBI Clerk application fee?expand_more
₹750 for General, OBC and EWS candidates. SC, ST, PwD and ex-servicemen candidates pay no fee.
How many vacancies does SBI Clerk offer?expand_more
The 2025 cycle offered 6,589 vacancies, including 1,409 backlog posts, distributed state-wise. Counts change every cycle with the notification.
Can I apply for more than one state in SBI Clerk?expand_more
You apply for one state/circle and compete in that state's merit list. Choose a state whose official language you can read and write, since the requirement is verified.
Next steps
- Eligibilityarrow_forward
- Exam Patternarrow_forward
- Preparationarrow_forward
- SBI Clerk Guidearrow_forward
Use the wait between applying and the exam.